Telephone Answering Device, and Method for Telephone Answering by Acquiring Procedure Files Stating Various Answering Functions Realized by Telephone Answering Device Thereof

1. A telephone answering device which performs answering processes to a telephone connected to via a telephone communication network, comprising the following means of (A) to (F): (A) communication means for connecting with an appropriate WWW server through the communication network; (B) dialers'-list acquiring-storage means for acquiring and storing a dialers' list including one or more plurality of dialed numbers from said WWW server connected by said communication means; (C) file-acquiring-storage means for acquiring, by said communication means, and storing a telephone-answering-procedure file based on a URL which corresponds to said dialed number, where the telephone-answering-procedure file includes a series of execution commands and a reference to at least one speech file having speech answering contents, said telephone-answering-procedure being formulated in tags of a markup language; (D) markup-language-file-decoding means for reading out said telephone-answering-procedure file from said storage means, and decoding the series of execution command of said telephone-answering procedures; (E) calling means for reading out said dialers' list from said dialers' list acquiring storage means and calling based on said dialed number; and (F) answering-operation-execution means for executing an answering operation to the telephone, in accordance with the execution command of the decoded telephone-answering-procedures, when a relevant dialer is connected to via the telephone communication network by said calling means.

2. A telephone answering device according to claim 1 , further comprising means for recording a content of said answering operation with said telephone conducted by said answering-operation-execution means.

3. A telephone answering method which acquires each procedure file stating the various answering functions realized by the telephone answering device for executing the answering processes to the telephone connected to via the telephone communication network, comprising the following means (I) to (VI): (I) a step of connecting with an appropriate WWW server through the communication network; (II) a dialers' list acquiring storage step for acquiring and storing the dialers' list including one or plurality of the dialed numbers from said WWW server connected to by said communication means; (III) a file acquiring storage step for acquiring, by said communication means, and storing said telephone answering procedure file based on a URL which corresponds to said dialed number, where the telephone-answering-procedure file includes a series of execution commands and a reference to at least one speech file having speech answering contents, said telephone-answering-procedure being formulated in tags of a markup language; (IV) a markup language file decoding step for decoding the series of execution commands of said telephone answering procedures by reading out said telephone answering procedure file; (V) a calling step for reading out said dialers' list and conducting calling based on said dialed number; and (VI) an answering-operation execution step for executing an answering operation to a relevant telephone, in accordance with said execution command of said decoded telephone answering procedures, when connected to the relevant dialer via said telephone communication network.

4. A telephone answering method according to claim 3 , further comprising a step of recording the content of said answering operation with said telephone in said answering operation execution step.

5. A telephone answering method according to one of claim 3 or 4 , further comprising a step of storing in said predetermined server by each file maker, said file stated with said various telephone answering procedures.